From Scratch Protein Bars

Clean Oatmeal Protein Bars 

An amazing way to satisfy your sweet tooth or get a pump of energy! This healthy on-the-go snack is so easy to make. The total prep and cook time is under 20 minutes :) I have learned my lesson that you should make multiple batches at once and freeze them! One batch is not enough ;) 

Clean and healthy protein bars without all of the chemicals are pricey these days, cashing in at $3-4 a bar! Make your own and know EXACTLY what is in every bite.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of oats
• 1 scoop of Chocolate Shakeology 
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of organic peanut butter (creamy or smooth, you could even try almond butter to mix things up!)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon of hemp seed
• 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed 
• 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tablespoon of honey or blue agave
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• optional - drizzle dark chocolate and coconut flakes on the top 

What to do?

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with wax paper.
2. Mix the oats, Shakeology, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add peanut butter and stir until it is well mixed. Add egg whites, honey, flax seed, hemp seed, dried cranberries, and apple sauce.
3. Spoon the mix into the wax covered pan. Sprinkle unsweetened coconut flakes on the top of bars and place squares of dark chocolate around top layer. 
4. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and smooth out the melted chocolate around the top of the bars. 
5. Allow to cool slightly, then place in the fridge for proper cooling before cutting into bars. Makes 8 large bars or 18 small bars. 

This recipe is great! Once you figure out how you like your bars you can get creative and add and subtract toppings or flavors.